Three men who were flying from Brisbane to Bali on Friday have been fined after the plane they were travelling on was forced to land in Darwin over the group’s alleged drunken and disruptive behaviour.
The trio – an East Brisbane man, 42, a Sheldon man, 20, and a Wellington Point man, 20, – are accused of becoming so intoxicated during the flight that staff became concerned their behaviour “may have escalated further”.
“(Staff) asked the passengers to move from their seats in the exit row, as they would be unable to perform assistance in the event of an emergency,” the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.
“It is alleged the men, initially refused to comply with the directions of the cabin crew, before eventually moving seats.
“The men then allegedly became increasingly disruptive on board the flight, consuming duty-free alcohol they had brought on board, while one passenger was also allegedly observed vaping in their seat.”
As a result, the pilot made the decision to divert the aircraft to Darwin, where the men were escorted off the plane by the AFP.
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The trio were “spoken to and cautioned” by police within the terminal and were subsequently released from custody.
The group are expected to be fined with: Offensive or disorderly behaviour, consuming alcohol and smoking (includes e-cigarettes) on board aircraft.
The aircraft continued its journey to Denpasar following the diversion.
“We know that the majority of passengers do the right thing and they should not have their travel disrupted or feel unsafe because of the bad behaviour of some individuals,” Darwin Airport Commander, Superintendent Greg Davis said.
“We again remind the public that airports are not nightclubs. We have zero tolerance for abusive and aggressive behaviour at airports and on aircraft.
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